Sheet piler



June 13, 1950 F. K. SCHEFE 2,511,739

' SHEET FILER Filed Juno 6, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet l Bnventor Freder/p/r K. d chef e June 13, 1950 F. K. SCHEFE 2,511,739

SHEET FILER Filed June 6, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Frederick K. Sc/zefe Hm attorney June 13, 1950 F. K. SCHEFE 2,51

SHEET FILER Filed June 6. 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Ru attorneg F. K. SCHEFE June 13, 1950 SHEET FILER 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 lied Juno 6, 1947 Jig 4.

lnvemor fi'ede/v'c/r K. chefe Hts Gttorneg June 13, 1950 F. K. SCHEFE 2,511,739

- 51mm FILER Filed Jun. 6. 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Zhwentor Hm Gttomeg Patented June 13, 1950 SHEET PILER Frederick E. Schefe, Gary, Ind., assignor to Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation, a corporation I of New Jersey Application June 6, 1947, Serial No. 152,931

This invention relates to the piling of sheets,

particularly metal sheets, as they are discharged from a delivery table, flying shear, or the like.

In the manufacture of metal sheets it has long been customary to guide and pile them as they are fed forwardly by a table which is equipped with lateral and end stops. Apparatus for this purpose with which I am familiar, however, has not been provided with means for decelerating the sheets during the piling operation. As a result, the sheets become damaged by sliding over one another or striking the end stop.

It is among the objects of the present invention to pile sheets in such manner as to avoid such resultant damage.

Another object is the provision of a sheet piler which works automatically and controls the movement of the sheets as they are fed forwardly.

Still another object is the provision of a sheet pller which comprises a traveling end stop whose speed is synchronized with that of the forwardly fed sheets, thereby eliminating the possibility of one sheet sliding over another and the damage resulting from striking a fixed end stop.

Additional objects and advantages will becom apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus of the present invention as disposed at the delivery end of a pair of pinch rolls which may be associated with a conveyor table, .ilying shear, or the Figure 2 is a plan of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end elevation;

Figure 4 is an elevation from the end opposite that of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an elevation as projected on the plane of line V-V of Figure 4 with parts omitted:

Figure 6 is a partial section taken on the plane of line VIVI of Fi ure 5; and

Figure 7 is an elevation partl in section taken on the plane of line VII-VII of Figure 5, with parts omitted.

Referring particularly to the drawings. a carriage 2 comprises an inverted U-shaped frame provided at each of its lower ends with a pair of wheels 4, adapted to run on trackways i which are disposed adjacent the point of delivery of the sheets to be piled and parallel to their path.

Disposed within the inverted U-shaped carriage 2 is a frame in the form of a yoke 8 which is provided with an upstanding screw it which extends through and projects from the top of the carriage 2 to receive a hand wheel l2 by means of which 8 Claims. (Cl. 271-83) the yoke. may be vertically adjusted. The ends of the yoke 8 are provided with lugs ll which cooperate with the upright members of the carriage 2 and guide the yoke during its vertical movement.

One end of the yoke 8 carries a pair of suitably supported, spaced and aligned rotary guide means such as sprockets l6 and [8, while at the other end of the yoke there is provided a corresponding pair of sprockets and 22. The sprockets l6 and I8 are connected by an endless flexible traveling element such as a chain 25, while the sprockets 1 20 and 22 are connected by a similar element such as a chain 21.

Referring particularly to Figure 7, the yoke 8 carries a pair of transversely aligned bearings 29 which between them support and journal a shaft 2| to which there is keyed a pair of sprockets 23 and 35. The chains 25 and 21 are trained around sprockets 23 and 35, respectively, as well as the sprockets l6, l8 and 20, 22. One end of the shaft 2| projects from the yoke 8 and to it there is keyed a sprocket 31. The latter is driven by a motor through a sprocket 39 on the motor shaft and a chain 28. The motor is mounted on a base plate II which is supported by brackets 42 carried by the yoke 8.

Referring particularly to Figures 5 and 6, the sides of the yoke 8 are formed to provide chain guides which cause the lower runs of the chains 25 and 2'! to traverse an arcuate path of travel in their movement between sprockets l6, l8 and 20, 22 corresponding generally to that which is traced by the advance or leading end of the sheets .as they are fed forwardly to be piled. Extending crosswise between the chains 28 and 21 are a series of spaced stop rails 41 which are engaged by the advance or leadin ends ofthe forwardly fed sheets as will appear more fully hereinafter.

The sheets S to be piled are shown (in Figure 1) as being delivered to the apparatus of the invention by a pair of pinch rolls 50. As before stated, these pinch rolls may be associated with a conveyor table, flying shear, or the like. As each of the sheets S is delivered from the pinch rolls 50 it has a natural tendency to sag at the leading end, as shown in Figure 1. In order to restrict this sagging, and also to guide each of the forwardly fed sheets, the apparatus of the invention is positioned in the manner shown in Figure 1 and power applied to the motor 40 in order to cause the chains 25 and 2'! (and consequently the stops 41) to travel counterclockwise when the apparatus is viewed as shown in Figure 1. The movability of the carriage 2 with and 21) directly in the path of, and in contactwith the forwardly advancing sagging end of each of the sheets S, thereby aflording support therefon;

By adjusting the speed of travel of they stops 41 (through the agency of the motor 40 the consecutively fed sheets. as delivered through the pinch rolls 50, will be supported by and made to maintain contact with the stops 4! and simultaneously conveyed forwardly, at a speed comparable to that imparted by the said pinch rolls. At the same time the end of the sheet reposing on the stops 4! is also descending toward the pile at a rate determined by the combination of speed of travel and path described by these moving stops. This action continues until the sheet leaves the pinch mils 50 whereupon it will immediately drop flatwise to the pile immediately below. This flatwise dropping movement is free from relative sliding of the sheets and precludes their striking the end stop, either of which conditions would result in damage, particularly when the sheets are highly finished. In addition the apparatus of the invention causes the sheets to be piled evenly with all edges in vertical alignment.

Since many changes, variations, and modifications in the specific form,- construction and arrangement of the elements shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, I wish it to be understood as being limited solely by the scope of the appended claims, rather than by any details of the illustrative showing and foregoing description.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for decelerating sheets as they are discharged successively by a delivery means over a pile support, said apparatus comprising a pair of endless flexible traveling elements disposed in spaced side-by-side relation, means guiding the lower runs of said elements in a downwardly curving path conforming generally to that of the leading end of a sheet as it sags on advancing unsupported beyond said delivery means, and a plurality of spaced stop rails extending between said elements adapted to be enused by the leading ends of successive sheets.

2. The apparatus defined by claim 1 characterized by vertically movable means mounting said elements and means for adjusting said mounting means.

3. The apparatus defined by claim 1 characterized by avertically movable frame in which said elements are carried and means for adjusting said frame. p

4. The apparatus defined by claim 3 characterized by said adjusting means including a screw engaging the frame. 7

5. The apparatus defined by claim 1 characterlzed by a frame in which said elements are carried and a motor on said frame driving said elements.

6. The apparatus defined by claim 1 characterized bya vertically movable frame in which said elements are carried and a carriage supporting said frame, said carriage being adapted for movement along the direction of travel of the I sheets.

along the path of the sheets in the direction of their travel, and a plurality of spaced stop rails extending between said elements adapted to be engaged by the leading ends of successive sheets.

FREDERICK K. SCHEFE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 Name Date Barber Dec. 22, 1914 Miehle Jan. 21, 1919 Duvall Nov. 20, 1923 Number 

